I’m a sucker for office supplies. Snoop around my desk, and you’ll find colored pencils, a rainbow of Sharpies, and a full range of notebooks and pads of paper. It’s no surprise then that I was excited when I found…
Category: Teaching
March of Time Newsreels in the Classroom
Back in the days before 24-hour news networks, people went to their local movie theaters to see what was going on in the world. The March of Time, perhaps the most well-known producer of these videos, distributed documentaries that covered…
6 Reasons Blogrolls Are Dying
I posted a message to TechRhet this weekend that I thought would yield a fast result. I needed to gather a list of comp/rhet blogs for a project, and I want to make sure I didn’t leave anyone out. I…
What Are Kidwatching, Microblogging, and Podcasts?
Soon NCTE will be launching an online site for members that will include many cool features, including an online glossary for English teachers. My assignment this afternoon was to come up with 3 definitions to add to the collection as…
Activities That Ask Students to Explore Cultural Mindsets
This week’s release of the Beloit List got me wondering about how the resource might be used in class. Officially known as the Mindset List of the Class of 2014, the Beloit List has been published each August for the…
BP’s Unintended Lesson on Visual Rhetoric
It’s politically correct to be disappointed with BP and their little oil well problem in the Gulf. But how can I be angry when they provide me with such wonderful gifts? First, BP America digitally enhanced some of their oil…
Easy Supplemental Reading: 100 Best Magazine Articles
No matter what textbook I choose for class, there’s always a class or two where I wish I had a few more readings available. Nothing in the text seems quite right, so I end up searching for something online that…
My Literary Genes
I’ve written before about my literary claim to fame: I’m slightly related to Ralph Waldo Emerson, through my great-great-grandmother Anne Emerson. While I know that Anne was Ralph’s third cousin once removed, I’m not exactly sure what that makes me.…
My Top 3 Tips for Teaching with Twitter
So you’re ready to dive in and try Twitter in the classroom. Let me share these tips that can make sure your classroom experience is a smooth and effective. Create separate logins. Audience and purpose shift from message to message.…
Classroom Activities Using Twitter
Since Twitter is a communications tool, there are infinite ways to use the site in the English classroom. These two excellent videos provide introductions to using Twitter with students that are polished enough to share at staff meetings and professional…